Mecca Penny Bingo

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Mecca Bingo
TypeLimited company
IndustryGambling
Founded1961
HeadquartersMaidenhead, Berkshire, England
United Kingdom
Key people
John O'Reilly
ProductsBingo clubs
Revenue£221.5m (2015/16)
£32.9m (2015/16)
ParentThe Rank Group
Websitewww.meccabingo.com

Mecca Bingo (formerly called Top Rank) is a UK-based company and operator of 76 bingo clubs located across major towns and cities. Mecca Bingo is owned by The Rank Group, which operates bingos, casinos and online gaming industries across Belgium, Spain and the UK. Rank Group also own Grosvenor Casinos and Enracha. Mecca Bingo was established in 1961, and its headquarters is in Maidenhead.[1] An extension of the Mecca Bingo brand includes meccabingo.com and a number of mobile apps. Mecca Bingo is the largest National Bingo Game operator in the UK.

As of June 2015, Mecca Bingo’s revenue was recorded at £224.4 million, with an operating profit of £28.9 million.[2] The Rank Group reports there are one million customers who visit Mecca each year, with £65.2 million revenue generated from digital. The Mecca network currently employs more than 11,000 people across the UK.[3] Their halls host traditional and electronic versions of bingo, including slot-style games. Mecca are licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.

History[edit]

Eric Morley, British TV host and founder of the Miss World pageant, is accredited with popularising the game of bingo in the United Kingdom during the early sixties, as a tactic to fill the UK’s dance halls. In 1952, he was Mecca's general manager of dancing, and was made a director in 1953. With Mecca, Morley helped to popularise bingo which was played at Mecca venues throughout the United Kingdom. He changed the company from a small catering and dancing firm into a leading entertainment and catering company in the UK. A director of the company from 1953 up until 1978, Morley left the business after a disagreement with its then parent company, Grand Metropolitan.[4]

In 1990, the Rank Organisation made an offer of £512m to acquire Mecca Leisure Group. This was initially rejected, then accepted two months later.[5] In 2007, Mecca Bingo and its parent company suffered significant losses, attributed to the implementation of the smoking ban in the UK. Rank shut nine Mecca Bingo clubs, with 230 people losing their jobs.[6] In 2015, Mecca Bingo launched a marketing campaign featuring a twerking cactus. The campaign adverts helped to increase Mecca’s digital sales by 18 per cent, year on year, in the 20 weeks to 17 May.[7]

Controversy[edit]

On 25 December 1997, members of the Muslim community in Luton, Bedfordshire, were outraged by a local bingo hall changing its name from ‘Top Rank’ to ‘Mecca,’ which is also the name of the holiest Islamic city. Protesters, angered by the link between the holy city and the practice of gambling, which is forbidden in Islam, threw bricks through the bingo hall’s windows, causing £3000 of damage.[8] Subsequently company management said the 'Mecca' name would be dropped from the bingo hall as a result of the unrest and offence caused.[9] However as of 2018, some 21 years on, the company's own branch locator on their website confirms that the Mecca brand is still being used in Luton.

In December 2015, Mecca Bingo was ordered to forfeit nearly £1 million after allowing a woman to spend up to £50,000 a month on her gambling addiction.[10]

Mecca penny bingo store

Awards[edit]

Mecca Bingo was awarded ‘Bingo Operator of the Year’ at the 2016 International Gaming Awards.[11] It won the same award in 2014 and 2015, with Rank Group also winning ‘Socially Responsible Operator of the Year Land Based’.[12][13]

Mecca Bingo won two awards at the 2016 EGR Innovation and Marketing Awards:[14] ‘Best Native App’ and ‘Innovation in Bingo’ for their Emoji Bingo game – an App that swaps bingo balls for emojis.

In 2017 Mecca Bingo won WhichBingo awards for Best Customer Services and Most Socially Responsible, along with the EGR award for Best Mobile Bingo Product.

References[edit]

  1. ^'Our Business - Rank Group Plc'. www.rank.com. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  2. ^'Mecca - Rank Group Plc'. www.rank.com. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  3. ^'Meet the man trying to breathe new life into bingo'. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  4. ^'The Long History Of Mecca Bingo'. 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  5. ^'The Rank Group plc - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on The Rank Group plc'. www.referenceforbusiness.com. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  6. ^Kollewe, Julia (2007-03-03). 'Mecca Bingo halls struggle in face of all-out smoking ban'. The Guardian. ISSN0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  7. ^'This is how a dancing cactus has helped boost business at Mecca bingo'. 2015-05-21. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  8. ^'Mecca bingo hall outrages Muslims'. 1998-01-07. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  9. ^'Mecca bingo hall drops name after Muslim protests'. BBC. 1998-01-14. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  10. ^'Bets pay off for Mecca bingo owner Rank Group'. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  11. ^'IGA Winners 2016'. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  12. ^'IGA Winners 2014'. 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  13. ^'IGA Winners 2015'. 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
  14. ^'Winners'. Retrieved 2016-09-12.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mecca Bingo Halls.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mecca_Bingo&oldid=1009854374'

If you love a game of Bingo then you may already have heard of Mecca Bingo. One of the biggest bingo names in the UK, there are plenty of towns and cities have a Mecca Bingo hall. In fact, you may have already daubed a few bingo cards there! So, it’s no surprise that they are one most trusted names in bingo and that includes Mecca Bingo online as well.

Why should you consider Mecca Bingo for your online games? For starters, there are tonnes of benefits. Ease of play is a big factor and the good news is that the website is very easy to navigate around. It has a huge selection of games to choose from and it is a bright and colourful place to play. I have also gone through the site with a fine tooth comb for more great features…

Mecca Bingo App

Want to play your favourite games on the go? No problem with the Mecca Bingo app. Choose from a variety of bingo games including 1p bingo in Penny Lane. Plus, you can also take part in the very popular Best Odds Bingo (BOB).

This is a terrific bingo game that game levels the playing field. Every player has just 10 tickets and there are max 25 players per game. So the odds are definitely in your favour with BOB Bingo.

It goes without saying that to use the Mecca Bingo App you must be an online customer. Once you have signed-up you can then play from anywhere. Check out the new customer welcome offer and keep up to date with exciting promotions and exclusive offers. All direct from the app!

The Mecca Bingo App is available in both the Apple Store and on Google Play.

Mecca Bingo Prices

Like all online bingo sites, the prices of tickets will vary. Higher jackpot games generally command higher ticket prices. But don’t worry if you’re on a budget. At Mecca Bingo you can play for as little as 1p per ticket in the Penny Lane room. Open 24/7, you’ll never pay more than a penny for a ticket in this 90-ball bingo room. Plus you can buy up to 120 tickets per game.

Price then go up depending on which room you choose to play in. Some will be for as little as 2p or 5p per ticket. Others, such as BOB will be at least 50p per ticket. You can always check out the cost of bingo tickets when you to the website. Simply click on ‘Bingo Rooms’ and check each room. Or check the schedule in the bingo lobby.

Bingo Game Features

There are five main features associated with their bingo games online. Not all the games will include them all but if you check the bingo schedule you can see which offers are on at any given time.

  • 1TG or 2TG – So close but yet so far away. Not anymore if you’ve only got 1 or 2 left to dab out! When the game is won by somebody else, you’ll get a share of the 1 and 2 To Go prize pot.
  • Linked Games – The more players, the bigger the Jackpot. Games are linked to other rooms which means huge jackpots. Somebody’s got to win it!
  • Lucky Stars – this is exclusive to Mecca Bingo online. There is an extra £250 Lucky Stars Jackpot added to some of the games. Buy 6+ tickets for any of these selected games and you’ll get a starred number on each ticket. If you get a full house and it is claimed on your starred number, a share of the jackpot could be yours. You can find the Lucky Stars Jackpot Games by looking for the Star symbol in the bingo lobby.
  • Roll On Bingo – a really great addition, this is where there are extra house prizes. So you could get anything from one extra prize to 20.
  • Winning Wheel – this is an added feature in the game if you have bought at least 6 tickets. When the bingo game ends, the wheel will pop into view on your screen. It will stop on 1 of the 5 segments. Each segment shows a prize. Whatever this is, it’ll be split between all the eligible players in the room.

The information above is just a short guide about what you can expect at Mecca. There are always plenty of offers and promos every month. And they are excellent at keeping customers informed about big jackpot games. Check it out today!


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